RyChad007: Mission Troypay
by Sacred Wishes
Summary: Troy had always been Sharpay's, but when Gabby comes, Troy's besotted. Chad and Gab have unresolved issues Ryan doesn't want to see his sis suffer and ultimately Ryan and Chad join forces to get Sharpay and Troy together again. RyChad & Troyella!
1. Prologue

**A/N: First HSM fic, and its probably not as good as the others (read "Three Rules", its AWESOME), but hey, review!!! This first chapter serves somewhat like a prologue, so its kinda short :p**

It was a fact at East High that Troy Bolton and Sharpay Evans were two names that had always been together. Mention Troy and the blonde drama queen comes to mind. Mention Sharpay and cries of "keep your head in the game!" pop up immediately.

And the reason is very, obviously, apparently, truthfully, simple.

When Troy and Sharpay were six, they both had plans to marry each other.

When Troy and Sharpay were eleven, they both had plans about what happens after they marry each other.

"We'll have kids - two girls!" Sharpay would greet Troy as they met each other in the corridors.

"No, I wanna have a boy," Troy would say defiantly. "He'll carry on the name of Bolton in basketball."

"Fine, we'll have a boy, and we came name him Jackie."

"Isn't that a girl's name?"

"Only if you want it to be."

"Fine, I'd rather call him Cody."

"That's a nerdy name!"

"Only if you want it to be," Troy would smirk.

Sharpay changed the topic.

"We'll buy a house up in Beverly Hills, and you can have your beloved basketball stadium nearby."

"No, why don't we just buy a house here in Alberqueque?"

"Because it'd be too boring and too plain and too cheap!"

"What's wrong with boring, plain and cheap?" Troy would ask, because he considered his family - including himself - boring, plain and cheap.

At which Sharpay would throw her hands up into the air dramatically and cry, "Troy Bolton, you are so deprived!"

Troy considered himself deprived too, but he didn't say that. Instead, he changed the topic.

"We'll have a dog named Spot."

"That's too common." Troy considered himself common too, but he didn't interrupt Sharpay. "We'll call him Londamoir'gyu. Lon for short."

"Is there any _meaning_ in that name?"

"No."

"How wonderful. Lonvacra'bu then."

"Its Londamoir'gyu!"

At which Troy would roll his eyes and about to retort "whatever", but Sharpay would smile sweetly at him, link her arms in his and they would walk quietly home, comfortable in each other's presence.

When Troy and Sharpay were fifteen, they started going out together. Every odd Saturday they would go out and watch a romance movie - which Troy rather looked forward to because of the hot chicks in there, but he never mentioned that to Sharpay - or watch a musical - which Troy hated because all the soprano singing broke his eardrums. Every odd Sunday they would go shopping at the mall - which Troy also hated because it meant having to wait while Sharpay tried on a million different dresses, but also liked because it meant getting to see advertisments with women in very revealing underwear.

And every even Saturday, they would go and watch a sports game at the stadium - which Sharpay hated because it meant getting herself sweating all over, and ruining her fingernails and her hair - or they would watch an action movie - which Sharpay liked because action movies had a cliched drama which she thought amusing, and also because Superman wore tights she could see his abs. And every odd Sunday Sharpay would tag along as Troy went to practice and eat lunch with Chad and the other sports maniacs - which Sharpay hated because Chad keeps prodding fun at Troy and her, but also liked it when Chad looked guilty whenever Sharpay accuses him of just being jealous of her and Troy's everlasting love - and afterwards, they would have a fun time just doing homework together in Sharpay's decidedly spacious and pink bedroom - which Sharpay liked and hated because it's _homework_, but its with _Troy_.

And when Troy and Sharpay were eighteen - or more specifically, before Sharpay's world had been turned unexpectedly upside down - they were just another peaceful, occasionally squabbling, loving and dating couple in East High. Troy attended all of Sharpay's auditions, callbacks (though there were few), rehearsals and musicals, and Sharpay, as a compromise (although she was forever complaining about it), attended all of Troy's basketball practises and games. Well, of course Troy and her had quarrels before. She was the beautiful ice queen of East High, and he was the famous basketball ace. They were the two most sought-after people. It was like a modern high school fairytale.

And every fairy tale has a villian - or villianess, in this case. And Sharpay Evans was determined to think that Gabriella Montez - new kid, math geek, science nerd and ultimately lower-than-Sharpay-Evans - was the villianess in her and Troy's special story. She was also determined to think that there will be a happily-ever-after, after the villianess has been triumphantly defeated.

So when Gabriella Montez stepped into their scene, Sharpay Evans was unfazed.

---

Troy Bolton had never seen, or heard, anyone like her. She had the voice of an angel - and angels were far and few in Troy's life - and the looks of a goddess. Just the fact that she was a geek made her even more special. She was so beautiful, she had a great voice, she was elusive and she was simply just kind - she was just the girl whom Troy would die for. It wasn't just the way she sang or the way she looked at her with her eyes bright and shining; it was the way she went about doing things with passion and determination, and the way she made his heart thump with a feeling that he had forgotten. It wasn't lust, as he felt whenever he saw those hot chicks on the tube; it wasn't just the weak, faded love as he felt for Sharpay (although she didn't know that and Troy wasn't just about to tell her); it was simply real, true, everlasting, unconditional, heart-bursting, head-aching, face-flushing, leg-wobbling, hand-trembling, love. He knew she was the one.

_Hell,_ he thought, _I'm thinking and feeling like one of Mom's cheesy romance novels. _

But he liked that feeling - though he was a manly man and he didn't want to admit it.

But as soon as she came into his life, just that one brief heart-bursting head-aching face-flushing leg-wobbling hand-trembling moment, she whirled away into the New Year's night, disappearing before Troy could bear to let her go. He mailed her that night, "Where were you? I couldn't find you after you disappeared."

And when she replied, her face lit up the tiny phone screen; he didn't know his message beep could bring him so much joy. "Sorry, mom had to go. Happy New Year!"

And as the New Year was born, as many others around the world celebrated that one special night, Troy Bolton found much more to celebrate for.

&&&


	2. Hyperventilating

A/N: So happy to see all the positive reviews :) people keep on reviewing! They really are a sweet balm to my soul.

Even Mrs. Darbus's confiscating her state-of-the-art diamond-studded hand phone, with over 4000 worth of MB and 100 hours of video – not to mention Hi-Speed Internet Connection and 10 of the best hand phone games did not dim her mood. Troy was treating her to a romantic back-to-school picnic by the beach, just the two of them, and although Sharpay was bringing all the food (sandwiches imported from Paris), she was sure they were going to have a great time.

Someone snapped his fingers in front of her, startling her from her beautiful daydream back to reality. "Psst, Shar," Ryan warned. "Listen." Sharpay shot Ryan a death glare, then listened.

"And Ms Montez! I see you're new here today. The theater always welcomes a new face. Auditions for the Winter Musi_cal_ begin next week during free period, and if you decide that your calling belongs to the stage, I will embrace you with open arms." Mrs. Darbus stretched her arms out wide, her long sleeves fluttering, looking very much like a vulture descending upon a carcass. "Well, Ms Montez, since you and Ms Evans seem to already know each other -" With a dramatic gasp Sharpay peered, wide-eyed, at the brunette sitting beside her and let out a small scream – "Ms Evans, you shall be Ms Montez's guide at East High for the next couple of days."

Sharpay hyperventilated.

Gabriella shot Sharpay a polite smile, saw she was red in the face, and started whacking Sharpay's back.

Ryan wondered if he needed to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He decided it was unnecessary, and shrugged at a displeased Mrs. Darbus.

Amidst all this, Troy racked his brains on ways to approach Gabriella without arousing the anger of her newly-elected watchdog – i.e. Sharpay Evans.

Then the bell rang.

---

"So that's the gym – where all the sweaty people play – and that's the library – where all the geeky people read – and there are the Science and Computer labs – where all the nerdy people do research – and there's the hall – where all the _talented _people like me perform – there's the field where all the tall people run – and that's the quadrangle – where all the cheerleader people practice – toilets, toilets – Principal's Office – Staff Lounge – General Office – classrooms, classrooms – oh yeah, there's one of the eleven Empty Cupboards that we have in our school, perfect for kissing –" Sharpay flung open the door and Gabriella let out a small squeak as she spotted, in the half-darkness, a guy's half naked body pressed up against a bosomy figure - "Those are the Music Rooms – Dance Rooms – Janitor's Office, a great place to steal cigars, drugs and needles if you are really desperate – Bookshop – Maths, Science, English, History Foyers – Cafetaria."

Sharpay braked her speeding train of speech. They had been walking all around the school, with Sharpay waving her hands around like a traffic police, pointing at the different places of the school, all the while keeping up a fast stream of narrative as Gabriella trailed uncertainly behind.

Now a handsome blond teenager with a basketball under his arm was greeting them with a grin, flanked by a guy with a familiar bouncy afro.

"Gabriella, meet Troy – my boyfriend." Sharpay ignored Chad, who didn't really notice – he was staring at Gabriella, eyes wide, looking as if the sky had fallen down from the sky.

"Gabby?" – Chad.

"Chad?" – Gabriella.

"Chad, do you and Gabby _know _each other?" – Troy.

"Troy, _why _are you calling her 'Gabby'?" – Sharpay

"_Troy?_" – Gabriella. She had not noticed Troy (nor Chad, for that matter) in class; she was too busy listening to Mrs. Darbus.

"I met her during a New Year's Party." – Troy, red in the face.

"I met her at summer camp." – Chad.

"And you didn't _tell _me?" – Sharpay, furious.

"Chad…" – Gabriella, at a loss for words.

... Everyone fell silent.

"Look," said Sharpay, annoyed at how everyone was keeping a secret that she didn't know. "We aren't going anywhere. Troy, what New Year's Party is this?"

"At a ski lodge." He didn't mention that he had fallen in love at first sight, nor did he mention that he and Gabriella exchanged a lot of other messages since that party.

"Chad?"

"At this camp my mom made me attend last summer," Chad said sullenly, and Troy wondered if he was the only one keeping a secret.

Gabriella's eyes were cast down.

Sharpay narrowed her eyes at all of them, then tugged Gabriella sharply on the arm and marched her through the cafeteria, continuing her chatter as though she never paused.

"Nerds here, jocks here, cheerleaders here, punks here, Goths here, people-who-are-feeling-emo-that-day-and-need-some-cheering-up-and-pity here, lovebirds-who-want-to-show-their-love-publicly here, and the top-of-the-school-elites sits – " Sharpay led Gabriella up the stairs – "here."

The tabletops were all sparkly and in bright neon colors, quite unlike the dull blue ones below. There was an exquisite pink glass table in the center of it all, big enough for at least five people to sit around, carved like a rose, that had the word "Evans" etched onto its surface. Ryan was already sitting there.

"Since we're _almost _friends, you can sit here with us – meaning me, Ryan and Troy – and sometimes some of the Wildcats team, and a couple of the cheerleaders," Sharpay kindly offered. "Here's a tip: don't buy food from that crazy woman running the Italian stall; if you don't wipe your bowl clean of every last crumb of pizza she'll butcher you with a knife."

Gabriella gulped. Perhaps life at East High wasn't gonna be so easy after all.


	3. Mrs Danforth

A/N: I'm gonna explain what Chad and Gabby's relationship is soon, so stay on and read – and of course, review!

The West Park wasn't really Sharpay's ideal kind of beach – it was too crowded to share a romantic picnic – and she'd rather go to a private island resort somewhere off the coasts of Hawaii, but it was Troy's choice and she didn't want to spoil it by whining.

"Beautiful weather, hm, Troy?" Sharpay asked sweetly, leaning against him. Beside her, Troy was staring off into the distance, obviously oblivious to her. Sharpay snapped her fingers in front of him. "_Beautiful _weather, hm, _Troy?_" she repeated.

"Wha…? Oh, yeah. Absolutely smashing," Troy responded with a non-committal air.

Sharpay rolled her eyes and started unpacking the food. Silence built up between the two of them.

"Troy. _Troy._" Sharpay said to him again, trying to get his attention. "TROY."

"What?"

"You weren't telling me the _whole _truth, were you? About Gabriella." Sharpay asked.

"No, I wasn't. But we really did meet at a New Year's Party."

"Hmmph."

"And yeah, we did exchange a few messages after that."

"_Hmmph._"

"Don't look at me like that. Okay, we _did _exchange more than a few messages, but I didn't really think that I would see her again. She mentioned that she had a boyfriend already, so I kinda accepted that, you know? We're just really good friends."

Sharpay frowned, unappeased by this answer. "Look into my eyes, Troy."

"What?"

"Look into my eyes, Troy," the blond-haired girl repeated.

Troy obliged and Sharpay searched their clear blue depths for a long half minute. Finally she smiled, and Troy let out an inward sigh of relief. "Troy, if I ever see another person in your eyes other than me… I don't know what I'll do," Sharpay said, her own eyes fixed steadily on Troy's. "But I'll make sure you'll come back to me, I promise."

Troy cast his eyes down uneasily. It wasn't very easy hiding from someone like Sharpay who could practically read your mind, but Troy has experience.

The awkward moment passed, and Sharpay leaned back into Troy's arms, sinking into his familiar embrace. Sharpay Evans wasn't blind, not was she stupid. She knew love when she saw it, and she could also tell lies easily from the truth. The weight of the knowledge of Troy and Gabriella's close (but one-sided, apparently) relationship was almost suffocating her, and she needed a plan – fast.

Thinking quickly, she decided, Ryan would know what to do.

---

Chad Danforth had so much on his mind, and a zillion emotions were pressing onto his aching heart.

_Disbelief. _He couldn't – not yet – digest the fact that Gabriella – _Gabriella _– was at East High.

_Sorrow. _This pounded strongly in his heart, as it did when she walked away last summer.

_Hope. _Perhaps she could give him a second chance.

_Fear. _If the team found out, he'd be dead…

_Shock. _She knew Troy – quite well, apparently.

_Confusion. _What was he going to do…

_Love. _Love, always the same killer emotion, always the same painful love. Renewed love, a candle lit again, another flower blooming – but that candle was about to be blown out, the flower about to wilt.

This love was too much for him to bear…

_That summer he had wanted to try out that shot-fake (a basketball technique that Jack Bolton was then crazy about) – just him, the Wildcats and Mr. Bolton, and of course, his lucky basketball, sweating it out on the court._

_And his mother dropped the bomb just a week before holidays started officially, that he was going to spend the best and most part of summer at a camp._

_She announced it that day just as Chad burst through the door after basketball practice. She was baking cookies in the kitchen, with his father sitting nonchalantly at the table, __reading his newspapers with unusually avidity, obviously not wanting to involve himself in the quarrel that was sure to brew soon enough._

_Mrs. Danforth wiped her dough-crusted hands on her apron. "Chad, put that ball down. I want to speak to you. Now, - put it down! – you'll be starting college soon, It'll be good if you have some… training before you go out to the real world."_

_"What?" Chad said, busy with his cookie. He peered at his mom suspiciously. "_Summer camp_? Dude, I have basketball practice everyday. We're going to the finals, man! I can't just miss it for some _camp_."_

_"Oh yes you can," his mom said firmly, snatching the ball from him and shooting a clear shot into the wastepaper bin. Behind his newspaper Mr. Danforth applauded, then stopped and smiled guiltily when he felt Chad's glare on him._

_"Dude, are you serious? Its gonna be a waste of a summer!" _

_"It is not a waste, Chad," his mom replied patiently, "Its called training. Believe me, when I was your age, I would have jumped at this sort of opportunity. I didn't have such priveleges. All _we _did was stick around our backyards and fly paper planes. Take this chance to make some new friends, find an interest, and _not _stick around with a dirty ball all day. You are _not _allowed to bring your basketball to camp."_

_Chad, who had virtually fallen asleep from the first mention of "when I was young", jerked awake again. "No ball?" he echoed emptily. It was a restriction that threatened to upset his whole summer – at the moment it was just hanging by a thread._

_"No ball."_

_"But – but –" he spluttered, wide-eyed._

_"No buts, young man. Now get that stink off your skin before I ground you."_

_Chad looked pleadingly at the newspaper (his dad knew" No Eye Contact With Trouble), then trudged wordlessly off to the bathroom. When Chad's mom was adamant about something, she would not settle for anything else; neither whining ways nor half-hearted promises could shake her mountain of stubbornness. _That _much he'd learnt during his unfortunate course of existence as Mrs. Danforth's son._

_When he emerged from the shower, tussling his chocolate-brown afro vigorously and shaking like a wet dog, he found a small stack of papers on his table, with the heading: "Golden Ocean – _The _Fun-Filled Kids Summer Camp!" _

_There were welcome letters, packing lists, forms, timetables and his group: Saffron Squid… it all sounded very childish._

_Chad groaned and buried his face in his hands._

---

Sharpay clicked her tongue impatiently at her brother.

"Ryan."

No answer. The younger Evans twin continued snoring.

"RYAN."

Blank. Nada. Zilch. Sharpay started beating her fists against the unmoving form on the bed.

"_RYAN!!!" _

With feigned alarm, Ryan sprang upright. He blinked sleepily at Sharpay, and tried wearily to knead the exhaustion from his eyes.

"Wha-?"

"Drop the act, Ryan," the older Evans twin commanded, dragging Ryan by the hand out of his king-sized bed (he needed the space, he said, for his teddy bears to sleep in). "It's a class-A emergency, code red."

The tiredness immediately fell from Ryan and he straightened up, obliging to slip his feet into his blue fluffy slippers. "Emergency, hm? The last time you bothered to consult _me _regarding an _emergency _was when you lost your Little Women outfit – you know, the Victorian one with the lacy corset and puffy skirts. And _that _ was not even code green."

"It _was _code green! _That _outfit determined whether I won the Best Drama Mama award," Sharpay insisted.

"Whatever."

They both wheeled into the den – Sharpay and Ryan's own personal space, complete with a stage with mannequins, props and technicolor lights – not to mention the pyrotechnics and all the boom mikes set up all around, and the spot lights if they needed it. There were bean bags which littered the cold marble floor; two changing rooms near a long and varied rack of sparkly costumes; autographed photos, paintings and certificates tacked to the wall; a tall glass shelf of trophies against one wall; a mini fridge near it; a stack of books; a disco ball hanging from the ceiling; a gigantic sound system wired to a cinema-sized television screen; a full-length mirror bordered with rhinestones; a vanity with _the best _make-up piled on top of it, most of it not even in stores yet; three laptops whirring in the corner; a grand piano; a full drum set AND a lot of gym mats plus a punching bag – yes, the Evans twins were artists in a world of showbiz, meaning that they were temperamental and prone to feel the urgent need to pummel something once in a while. Usually it was Sharpay who was too overwhelmed by the stupidity of everyone else (or maybe feeling jealousy at the other competitors for the Star Dazzle Award) and she often needed to punch something.

"Go," said Ryan shortly, once they were comfortably seated on the beanbags.

Sharpay reclined on her chair, obviously enjoying the attention. She didn't need much prompting.

"Troy is going to ditch me for that Gabriella-nerd person." Sharpay brushed a lock of blond hair away from her mascara.

Ryan considered her words for a second. "Well," he shrugged, "East High's been having severe gossip famine anyway. This would give them something new to buzz about. Granted, the Gabriella-person is a tad cute, but Troy isn't the nerd-person kinda type."

"Its not like just another affair," Sharpay told him sharply."This is real. I can _feel _it. His eyes… they _burn _with the _passion _of _love… _his hands… it _tingles _with the _spirit _of love…" Sharpay paused dramatically, and Ryan took the opportunity to jump in.

"Cut the dramatics, sister. Sure, maybe he feels real love for her. So what? We can still do something about it. All that about love being unstoppable? In reality, love is fragile."

"So what d'you plan on doing?"

"…" Ryan pondered the question, then a smile suddenly creeped onto his face – the slow, sly smile which is oft seen in cartoons, when the villain has a particularly delicious and nasty idea.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to think of something, won't we?"


End file.
